Type-writer calculating attachment.



F. I. TILLMAN. TYPE WRITER CALCULATING ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3. IBM.

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

F. J. TILLMAN. TYPE WRITER CALCULATING ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3. 1911.

PatentedSept. 21, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

F. J. TILLMAN.

TYPE WRITER CALCULATING ATTACHMENT. APPLICATION FILED MAY 3. mt.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FERDINAND JOSEPH TILLMAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TYPE-WRITER CALCULATING ATTACHMENT.

Application filed May 3, 1911.

To aZZir/zom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND J. TILL MAN, a citizen ofthe United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type-Vriter Calculating Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

An object of the present invention is to provide compressed air means for operating a calculating mechanism which means is especially adapted for operating that class of calculating mechanism used in connection with typewriters and which have come to be known in the art as typewriter calculating attachments. Inattachments of this character heretofore. calculating mechanisms have been operated by a series of number keys of the typewriter including the letter L key which represents the figure 1, and the ,entire power or force necessary to operate the calculating mechanism has been thus borne by the fingers of the operator. This has resulted in iving a muchheavier touch to the number keys and the L key than the touch of the remaining keys, thus causing difficulty in the operation of the machine. Furthermore, the force necessary to operate a totalizer wheel in the totalizer or register of a calculator and to operate the gear between the key lever and saidtotalizer wheel is so great as to prove tiring and burdensome to the fingers of the operator in the calculation oflong columns of figures.

In view of the foregoing, a specific object of the present invention is to relieve the number key levers from the burden of actually driving the calculating mechanism so that the touch of said number key levers will remain the same as the remaining or-letter keys, thus avoiding confusion, especially to touch operators in the operation of the machine. Such a mechanism is clearly hereindescribed and'disclosed in theaccompa-ny ing drawings, in which like, reference characters refer to like parts and in which,

Figure 1 is a. sectional side elevation showing an ordinary typewriter equipped with a typewriter calculator attachment and the improved calculator driving mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the number key system and calculator driving mechanism showingeand illustrating the connection between the 'driving mechanism and the main cal- Specification of Letters Patent.

and beneath the same.

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

Serial No. 624.823.

culator driving shaft. Fig. 3 is a sectional partial front elevation of a calculator drivmg mechanism showing also a portion of the number key levers and showing compressed air supply. Fig. i is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the calculator driving mechanism and key levers.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, 1 represents the frame of a typewriter, 2 the carriage, and 3 a typewriter calculator attachment of any suitable form, such for instance as shown in my application filed August 3, 1910', Serial No. 575,247, entitled calculating attachment for typewriting machines.

4 is the main driving shaft of the calculating attachment connected to the calculating attachment by any suitable gearing such, for instance, as illustrated in the aforesaid application.

5 are the number keys of the typewriter, and 6 is the L key representing the number 1.

On a frame of the typewriter at its base, are standards 7 which support through suitable journals 8 a shaft 9, which extends entirely across the machine or at least entirely across the series of number key levers Shaft 9 carries at one end a bevel gear 10 which meshes with a bevel gear 11 on the main calculator driving shaft 4. Keyed to the shaft 9 in substantially the vertical plane of each of the number keys 5 and 6, and one for each number key, are ratchets 12 and adjacent each of the ratchets 12 but loosely mounted on said shaft 9 are gears 13 each of which has keyed to it between it and the ratchets 12 a pawl lever 14, which being keyed to the gear 13 moves therewit Pa wl lever 14 bears against the ratchet 12 and carries a pawl 15 on one side and in the plane of the ratchet 12, which paw 15 engages the teeth of the ratchet 12. Pawl 15 is held in engagement with and permitted to ride over the teeth of the ratchet 12 by a spring 16 also carried by the lever 14.

l7are racks, one for each number key and gear 13. Racks 17 are provided with varying numbers of teeth depending upon the particular key lever which they represent. Racks 17 reciprocate in a guide bar 18 below and a second guide bar 19 nearer their up per ends. These racks 17 are depressed by other.

compressed air means hereinafter described and are springs 20 secured at their upper ends "tohooks 22 mounted on the upper guide bars 19.

23 are stops on the racks 17 to prevent excess upward movement. Depression of a rack 17 causes through its teeth a rotation of the particular gear 13 in engagement therewith and through pawl lever 14'and pawl 15 the adjacent ratchet 12, thus turning the shaft 9 that part of a revolution represented by the number of teeth engaged I and displaced by the particular rack-idepressed, and through the bevel gears 10 and 11 and the main driving shaft 4 transmitting a commensurate motion to the totalizer In order to prevent excess downward movement of the racks 17 and hence excess forwardmovement of the ratchets 12 beyond the amohnt represented by the number of located adjacent gears 13 projecting there teeth on a particular rack bar, each of the rack bars is provided with a brake arm 26 from. Since the different rack bars 17, owing to the fact that they are provided with different numbers of teeth, must be restricted to difli'erent lengths of strokes or degrees of depression, the brake arms 26 must above the shaft 9, and the rack 17 representing the L or key being in the lowest and the brake arm 26 on the rack bar 17 representing the 9 numeral key being in the highest plane above the shaft 9. Brake arms 26 cooperate with brake wheels 27 keyed to shaft 9, there being one brake wheel for each of the brake arms 26. Brake wheels 27 are provided with teeth which are engaged by the outer ends of the brake arms 26. Brake wheels 27 are and with ratchets 12 provide a space between them for the cars 13, which, while allowing freedom of action of the gear 13, prevents its disengagement with the teeth. of the, rack 17 Fordepres'sion oractuation of the rack bars 17, said rack bars 17 are formed at their upper ends with pistons 28 located in cylinders '29 suitably mounted on the frame of the machine, shown in the drawings as forming an integral series mounted onthe standards 7. At the upper end of each of the cylinders the brake arm 26 for 1 returned to uppermost position by' pressed air supply,

- passageway be located in different planes mit compressed air-from a port '31 in a pipe suitable source of comsuch, vfor instance, as a tank, compressor or the like (not shown). v

For controlling. a the escape of pressure from the pipe 32 through the ports 31 into ports 30, a valve 33 is provided which re-' ciprocates in'a valve housin 34 locatedbetween the ports 31 and 30. %his valve rests at its lower endon an'actuating spring 35 seated within the housing 34 and is provided with an inverted L-shaped port 36. The spring 35 holds the valve 33 normally projected so that a portion of the valve covers 32 connected to any the port 31 and the horizontal portion of the port is in registration With an exhaust port 37 at the upper end of the housing, while the vertical portion of port 36 registers with the port 30, thus closing the pipe 32 against the escape of air into the cylinder but forming a between port 30 and the outer atmosphere so that there will be no resistance to the upward movement of the rack bars 17. Communication between ports 30 and 31 is formed by the horizontal ortion of port 36 when valve 33 is depressecih'n opposition to spring 35. In order to prevent excess movement in either direction of the valve 33 and to prevent its jumping out of its housing, .a set screw 38 is provided, which engages a slot 39 in the valve 33 at a point below the air pipe.

At its upper end, the valve 33 is provided with an enlargement or head 40 forming a button to receive the pressure of a hammer 41. There is one hammer for each valve, and each hammer 41 is carried at the outer end of a lever 42 pivoted to a bar 43 extendacross the machine or number key system beneath the latter and supported at its ends by side bars 44 which are pivoted at 45 to standards 46 at either side of the machine. Each of the side bars 44 is held in forward position against stops tending from said bars 44 to arms or projections 49 on standards 46. Levers 42 carrying hammers 41 are thus springs 48 in position over the valves 33. In order that the hammers 41 may be held slightly above the valves 33 so as to rest no weight thereon, and in order that elasticity of movement be given, .bars 44'are connected by a second rod 50 which carries a series of springs 51, one for each lever 42 and the action of spring 51 is restricted by a stop bar 52extending across and engaging shoulders 53 on levers 42 so that levers 42 are not thrown upwardly too hi h.

Ilach of the hammers 41 is located immediately beneath and in the same vertical plane as one of the numeral key levers 5 or 6. Said hammers are preferably made "slightly Wider than the key levers so as to 29 is an inlet port 30 adapted to ad-accommodate any slight vibration or lateral- 47 by springs 48 exheld by the top of the rame movementuof the numeral key levers in action;

54 is a shift bar for displacing the side .bars 4% in opposition to spring 48 to carry the hammers 41 out of the vertical plane of the valves 33 in order that the operating connection between the key levers 5 and 6 and the valves 33 may be broken so that the upper kev levers may be used without 'the calculating mechanism.

No stufling boxes or other means for preventing leakage of air has been illustrated in connection with the piston and valve mechanism herein shown and described, it being understood that this may be provided, and the same has been omitted for the sake of clearness.

Briefly, the operation of the mechanism described is as follows. Upon pressing one of the numeral key levers 5 or 6, this lever engages and depresses the particular hammer therebeneath which in turn with slight momentum engages the head 40 of the valve 33 beneath it, depressing said valve until the upper ipr horizontal portion of the inverted L-shaped port 36 registers with the ports 31 and 30whereupon pressure is immediately admitted from the air supply pipe 32 to the cylinder 29 forcing the piston 28 on the rack bar '17 downwardly in opposition to its particular spring 20. Said rack bar 17 is stopped in its downward movement by the brake arm 26 engaging its particular brake wheel 27 at which point each of the teeth of the rack bar 17 will have engaged and displaced a corresponding tooth of its gear 13 which in turn has transmitted, through the pawl-lever lit and the pawl 15, a commensurate movement to the ratchet l2 and the shaft 9 and through the bevel 11 to the main driving shaft 4 and the totalizing or registering mechanism But slight pressure is required to operate the valve 33 so that only a slight additional load is placed upon the numeral key lever beyond throwing its type bar (not shown) to the printing point. As thevalve 33 is normally projected under the action of its spring 34, the'instant the pressure is taken from the numeral key lever depressed, the valve instantly closes and the spring 20 on the pargears 10 and ticularrack bar depressed is returned exhausting the air in the cylinder through the port 30, the L-shaped port 36, the port'37, so that there isno resistance to the upward movement of the rack bar 17. 7

It will be observed that there is no permanent connection between the numeral key levers and the operating mechanism so that there is only a slight load onvthe numeral key levers in their return to normal position.

I claim:

1. In combination with an ordinary typewriting machine having a series of number key levers, a calculating mechanism register mounted in said machine and having totalizer wheels, a series of devices geared to said wheels each adapted to operate the latter to a different extent, pistons carried by said devices, a cylinder surrounding each of said pistons, a compressed air supply for actuating said pistons in said cylinders and a valve for each of said cylinders to control the admission of pressure thereto, each of said valves being located beneath and adapted to be actuated by the depression of a particular number key lever.

2. In combination with an ordinary typewriting machine, a calculating mechanism register having totalizing wheels, a series of devices geared to said wheels for actuating them, pistons connected to said devices, cylinders surrounding said pistons, a compressed air supply connected to each of said cylinders, "alve means for controlling the entrance of air pressure from said supply to each of said cylinders, and a series of number keys for actuating said valve means.

3. In a calculator, the combination with a register having totalizer wheels, of selective means for determining the extent of movement of said totalized wheels, said se lective means comprising a series of rack bars and a shaft adapted to be actuated by said bars, compressed air means for operating said selective means, and key levers for cont-rolling said compressed air means, each of said rack bars being independently controlled.

4. The combination typewriting machine having key levers, of calculating mechanism including registering mechanism, power mechanism operated by compressed air, and controlled by said key levers, each of said key single valve, said power mechanism being adapted to operate said registering mechanism.

5. The combination with an ordinary levers, of a calculating attachment cooperable with said key levers and comprising registering mechanism, means operated by fluid pressure for operating said registering mechanism, tween said key levers and said fluid pressure means whereby the calculating attachment may be made operative and inoperative at will. a

6. The combination typewriting machine comprising a plurality of numeral key levers, of a calculating attachment comprising a plurality of compressed air controlling plungers for operating said attachment, and out of cooperative relation. with respect to each of said levers and each of said plungers, and a shifting device for moving saidhammers in unison.

with an ordinary levers actuating a and means interposable bewith an ordinary a hammer movable into e combination with an ordinary levers, totalizing wheels, 7 motion to said wheels, gears carried by said shaft and corresponding respectively to each' of said numeral key levers, a plunge r typewriting' machine having. numeral key of a calculating attachment having a shaft for transmitting rack meshing with each of said gears, a.

fluid pressure cylinder for each plunger, a. supply pipe connected up with all of said cylinders, and valved operated vrespectively by said key the admission of fluid to said cylinders.

8. The combination with an ordinary means typewriting machine having numeral .key

having; totalizing wheels, a shaft for transmitting motion to said wheels, gears carried by said levers, of a calculating attachment shaft and corresponding respectively to each of said numeral key levers, a plunger rack meshing with each of said gears, a fluid pressure cylinder for each plunger, :1

supply pipe connected up with all of said,

cylinders, valved means operated respectively by said key levers for controlling the admission of fluid to said cylinders, and a removable member interposed between each Copies of this patent may be obtained for levers for controlling means interposable plunger and key lever for making said calculating attachment inoperative.

9. In a calculating mechanism comprising a'register having totalizer Wheels, selective devices geared to said totalizerwheels to operate the lattencom'pressed air means for operating said selective devices, and key levers-for controlling said selective devices,

each of said key levers controlling single valve relative to said compressed air means.

10.. The combination with an ordinary typewriting machine having numeral key levers,

able with said key levers and comprising calculating attachment may be made operative and inoperative at will.

FERDINAND JOSEPH .TILLMAN.

Witnesses:

J. B. MEG-OWN, M. C. HAMM'ON.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

of a calculating attachment coiiper- 

